I was wrestling with a math problem today.
The question was like a short essay—I read it three times and still couldn’t figure out what it was asking!
Xiaoguang walked in from the doorway, holding a cup of tea, steam curling softly.
She gently placed the cup beside my hand.
“Take a break.”
It was green tea, the aroma filling my nose.
But…
My face scrunched up.
It smelled bitter just from the scent!
Studying is already bitter enough—I don’t need to drink bitter stuff on top of that!
Besides, it’s summer, and it’s so hot!
So I put on a pitiful face:
“I don’t want hot tea, I want an iced cola or iced milk tea…”
She immediately glared at me.
“Those are too unhealthy!”
“But it’s so hot out…”
“…I brewed this with my own hands.”
She squinted at me.
“The tea leaves are from home.”
She tilted her head, smiling gently.
“Really not drinking?”
“…Drinking!”
Of course I drank it!
She made it for me with her own hands—how could I not!
I quickly picked up the cup, tilted my head back…
And downed it in one gulp!
The temperature was just right.
Not too hot, not cold—smooth and warm as it went down.
The tea fragrance filled my mouth, and then…
My face scrunched up tight!
It was really, really bitter!
Yeah, I definitely still prefer iced cola!
She looked at me and sighed helplessly.
She said that tea isn’t meant to be gulped down like that, but at least it wasn’t too hot anymore.
I grinned and said, “You brewed it for me, so I had to finish it in one gulp!”
Then I added…
“Xiaoguang, can you keep brewing tea for me from now on?”
She froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and smiled.
“Sure,” she said.
The tea was bitter, but there was a bit of a sweet aftertaste.
…
…
Xiaoguang had been coming for a month now, every single day.
Today, she was explaining a physics problem to me, her voice soft and gentle.
I was listening carefully when, suddenly, a key turned in the front door!
Both Xiaoguang and I froze.
“…Who is it?” she whispered.
“My parents.”
She shot up, frantically shoving the tutoring materials into her canvas bag!
I was a little panicked too!
Xiaoguang had been coming for nearly a month, and this was the first time this had happened!
Dating in high school is a huge taboo, so I’d never told my parents.
Anyway, they usually came home late, and Xiaoguang would leave around four or five—they’d never crossed paths.
But why were they home so early today?!
It was only three o’clock!
Xiaoguang barely finished packing before my mom’s head poked into the room.
When she saw Xiaoguang, she froze.
Xiaoguang saw my mom and froze too.
They just stared at each other for a few seconds.
“What’s wrong? Come in—”
My dad froze as well.
Then, my mom’s face broke into a huge, beaming smile.
“Oh, a guest!”
My mom’s eyes swept up and down over Xiaoguang, and the smile only grew deeper.
“Young lady, why don’t you stay for dinner?”
Xiaoguang’s face turned bright red!
“N-no, thank you, Auntie! I should go!”
Clutching her small bag, she bowed to my mom, then quickly slipped on her shoes and dashed out the door!
The door slammed shut!
Leaving me trembling alone.
…Traitor!
Sure enough, after Xiaoguang left, my parents grilled me like a suspect.
They said things like, “How did a girl this pretty end up being fooled by you…”
But when they found out that my recent improvement in grades was all thanks to Xiaoguang, and that she was consistently in the top ten of her grade…
They did a complete one-eighty!
“You need to treat her well, got it!”
“Don’t you dare bully her or make her mad!”
“Whatever she says, you listen!”
“I agree with your mom.”
…Look at these two-faced hypocrites!
Just a moment ago, they were saying I’d hoodwinked her!
That night, as I was getting ready to sleep, my door creaked open.
My mom poked her head in, wearing a mysterious expression…
And handed me a small square box.
“Make sure to use this. Don’t end up causing any trouble!”
…I honestly couldn’t even—!
We haven’t even kissed yet, for crying out loud!
We’re not even officially boyfriend and girlfriend!
…
…
I was afraid that after running into my parents, Xiaoguang wouldn’t dare to come anymore.
But she still came.
The next morning, the doorbell rang right on time.
I opened the door, and she stood there in that light blue dress.
Her expression was perfectly natural, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
So, over the next few days, my parents kept going to work, and Xiaoguang kept tutoring me.
But I felt like…
Xiaoguang and I had gotten a lot closer!
After all, she’d already met the parents!
Even though the encounter was a bit awkward…
The outcome was good!
My mom’s impression of her couldn’t be better!
At dinner yesterday, she kept muttering, “That girl is so pretty” and “Her grades are so good—what a shame she’s ended up with our kid.”
I almost choked on my rice!
So today, I finally gave in to my curiosity and asked Xiaoguang a question I’d been dying to ask.
“Xiaoguang, what’s your family situation?”
“You come to a guy’s place every day and stay for the whole day before going home…”
“Doesn’t your family say anything?”
She told me…
She’s been telling her family that she’s been tutoring a female classmate!
She blinked at me innocently:
“My grades have always been good, and I’m a good kid. My family’s always trusted me.”
Shocked!
I never thought this good-girl type could be such a seamless liar!
I put on a look of mock horror:
“So I’ve become a delinquent!”
“Delinquent?”
“You know—the kind who leads a good girl’s daughter astray!”
She squinted and smiled:
“You kinda fit the bill.”
“Hey!”
I glared at her:
“If your dad ever finds out you’ve been wasting time with me… won’t he beat me to death?”
She shot me a glance.
“Then you’d better work hard and get into the top fifty.”
She said slowly, so confidently.
“Then I’ll really be your girlfriend. I’ll protect you—he wouldn’t dare hit you.”
I froze for a second, then ran my mouth:
“And if I can’t do it?”
She squinted and smiled again. That familiar curve.
She said if I couldn’t pull it off, it meant my heart wasn’t sincere enough about wanting her to be my girlfriend.
Then she added…
“If my dad doesn’t come for you first, I’ll beat you to death myself!”
…Scary!
I quickly picked up the tea she’d brewed for me and took a sip!
Green tea, just the right temperature, neither hot nor cold.
Bitter on the first taste, but the aftertaste was pleasant.
I guess I’ve come to enjoy drinking tea.
Yeah.
So refined!
As I sipped, I sneaked a glance at her.
The tips of her ears were faintly red.
…
…
Before summer break ended, Xiaoguang and I went out to play one more time.
Same lawn, same blue sky, same woods in the distance.
But this time, she didn’t want to ride her own bike.
She wanted me to take her.
So I specifically found a bike with a rear seat, leaving my mountain bike at home gathering dust.
She sat sideways on the back seat.
“Hold on tight.”
“Mm.”
Her little hand gently tugged at the fabric of my shirt at my waist—she didn’t hug me.
Very reserved. Very ladylike. Just like her usual style.
But…
That wouldn’t do!
So, I purposely rode toward bumpy parts!
The wheels rolled over the potholes on the gravel road, and she let out a soft gasp, leaning forward slightly against me.
I swerved to the side again!
The tires went over a small mound of dirt!
She couldn’t hold it anymore—both her hands wrapped around my waist.
“Aqi!”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re doing it on purpose!”
“Doing what on purpose? This road’s just rough.”
Her fingers pinched me hard on the side.
I grinned through the pain.
When we reached the lawn, I parked the bike by the roadside and walked up the slope with her.
The wind was still blowing gently, the grass still soft underfoot.
The woods in the distance shimmered like a deep green ocean under the late-summer sun.
We lay down side by side on the grass again.
I softly took her hand.
“Xiaoguang, thanks for tutoring me all this time.”
“……You’re welcome.”
She held my hand back.
We lay there quietly, staring at the sky above—so blue it didn’t seem real.
A few white clouds drifted slowly by.
And then…
That little devil of hers broke the atmosphere!
She suddenly whispered in my ear:
“If you don’t make it into the top fifty on the first exam after school starts—”
She chuckled softly,
“I’ll tell your parents about those dirty books you read.”
The smile froze right on my face.
“Wait… you’re still holding that against me after all this time?!”
I wailed.
Demon!
She-devil!
Above us, the clouds floated by like cotton candy in strawberry flavor.
……
……
After school started, I studied like crazy!
For my girlfriend, and also…
To keep myself from total disgrace!
My friends all thought I’d been possessed by some evil spirit.
Before, when class ended, I’d run to the sports field. Now I ran to the library instead.
Before, I’d play soccer after school. Now I’d do exercises after school.
Before, I’d goof off on weekends. Now I’d just stare blankly at practice papers.
“Fang Qi, what’s gotten into you?!”
“Did something take over your body?”
“Don’t tell me it’s that girl from the class next door…”
“Shut up!”
I love studying!
Studying makes me happy!
Finally, all my hard work paid off.
On the first monthly exam…
I placed thirty-ninth!
I actually made it into the top fifty!
I—did—it!
So I proudly asked Xiaoguang to meet me on the school rooftop.
I got there ten minutes early, stood on the rooftop, and looked out at the sports field and the sky beyond.
I felt like I was on top of the world!
My queen, it’s time to be my girlfriend now!
Oh, and…
Forget about those dirty books!
Then the rooftop door swung open.
Just as I turned around, a shadow pounced on me!
Warm lips pressed directly against mine.
Soft, strawberry-flavored.
My back hit the wall by the door.
Then I slid down, slowly, until I was sitting on the ground.
I was stunned.
She was kissing me.
Her black hair fell down the sides of my face.
Her eyes were tightly shut!
Her eyelashes were trembling violently!
I don’t know how long we kissed, but eventually she slowly pulled her lips away.
She didn’t dare look at me. Her forehead pressed against my chest, and she mumbled:
“Aqi. I’m your girlfriend now.”
I was still in a daze.
Huh…?
I’m her boyfriend?
She’s my girlfriend…?
We’re boyfriend and girlfriend now…
And then…
She kissed me…?
…Ah.
I stared blankly at her.
…I remembered.
I remembered again.
I remembered what I had forgotten.
That cup of tea, always at fifty-two degrees.
Her silver hair. Her heterochromatic eyes.
And the little plastic star on her earlobe.
Her kneeling on the carpet, face tilted up, calling me “Master.”
The eighty-two years.
Her screaming in the void with a hoarse voice: “Don’t you dare hurt my Aqi.”
I was dazed as I looked at her.
Crazy woman—did I finally…
succeed in winning you over?
Is this game about to end?
Suddenly, I felt reluctant.
Xiaoguang, I don’t want to…
She lifted her head and pressed her hand against my forehead.
Her pretty face was still flushed, her eyes gentle. She leaned close to my ear and whispered softly:
“Aqi, don’t you dare remember.”
Her voice grew even softer.
“This Aqi, right now…”
“Belongs only to me.”
“Belongs only to ‘Xiaoguang.’”
“I won’t let Aqi… remember the old me anymore.”
She murmured gently in my ear.
“Aqi’s head is full of the old me, isn’t it?”
Her voice seemed to echo from inside my mind.
“I know—that’s still me.”
“I know I just lost my memories.”
“But I really don’t have those memories, you know.”
“Aqi, your head is full of memories I don’t have…”
“So for now, at least…”
“Aqi is not allowed to remember.”
“Otherwise, I’ll be upset.”
Her slender fingers brushed lightly over my temples—cool to the touch.
“Right now, you’re only allowed to see the me of now.”
“Only allowed to see ‘Xiaoguang.’”
“Only allowed to think of ‘Xiaoguang.’”
“Only allowed to think of me.”
“No thinking of the me before the memory loss.”
“And especially no looking at me and immediately thinking of the old me.”
“Not allowed.”
“I’ll create new memories for Aqi.”
“Memories that belong to…”
“Aqi and Xiaoguang.”
“Memories that belong just to us two, that we share together.”
……
……
Today, Xiaoguang really became my girlfriend!
Oh man, I’m so pumped!
After school, I stood in the hallway, held up Xiaoguang’s hand, and raised it high!
“Everyone, look at me! Classmate Li! Xiaoguang! She’s my girlfriend now!”
The hallway was silent for two seconds…
Then everyone started howling!
“No way!”
“Is that for real?!”
“I told you, those two had something going on!”
“Fang Qi, you lucky dog!”
“Man, you were denying it before!”
Xiaoguang stood beside me, hand in mine, smiling shyly and sweetly.
She even shot me a quick sideways glance—that look, half teasing, half happy—made my heart tingle.
Hehe.
Life is good!
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